Quenching device



Patented Jan. 5, 1943 QUENCG DEVICE l Sven Maike, Milwaukee, Wis., or to A. 0. Smith Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of- New York l Application August s, 1940, serial No. 350,814

y Y 4 claims. '(01.' 26o-c) This invention relates to a quenching device improved device for progressively quenching long metal pipes or bars.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a device oi this character in which there is no tendency for the water or other quenching medium to enter into the inside of a pipe and pass backward in a direction opposite the direction of motion of the pipe.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for applying a liquid quenching medium to the surface of a cylindrical body moving longitudinally through the apparatus, and to effectively remove the heated liquid from th'e region oi quenching.

These and other objects of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description; and the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a. longitudinal section through one embodiment of the invention;

Fig, 2 is an end elevation looking from left to right in Fis. 1: and

Fig. 3 is a section through a modified form of the central section or barrel.

In some meth'ods for the manufacture oi pipe or tubing, one of the steps involved is hot reduc-- tion from a large diameter to a smaller diameter in hot swaging or reducing machines. While not limited thereto, the device of this invention is particularlyadapted to the quenching of hot pipe' coming from a swaging machine in order to cool it rapidly and improve its physical properties." The normal procedure is-.for the pipe to pass through' the swagingmachine horizontally. The quenching of the pipe should/"also be donewhile the pipe is horizontal in order to. avoid the extensive handling that would be required ii the pipe were turned on end and quenched by dipping vertically into' a quenching bath.

The provision of a device to apply water to all parts of the external surface of a horizontally disposed pipe involves. a number i' problems due which will ordinarily be employed, but it is to be understood that other liquids can be used and that the essential features of the invention are independent ofthe particular quenching medi which is chosen. 'y

The quenching device of this invention comprises a central barrel I positioned horizontally at a suitable height to' receive pipe coming from the hot s machine. The swaging machine and feed rolls and feeders for moving the pipe through the quenching device are'not shown in the drawing as they form no ypart of this invention. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1) the swaging machinewould be' at the left andy pipe 4would pass through the quenching device from casing distributes water to the/'guide `section 4 positioned between it and the barrel I. The

guide seztion is provided with vanes 5 set at an angle to the axis of the barrel to impart a spiral or'whirling motion to the water. Th'e ltapered opening 8 serves to guide the pipe 1 .into thequenching device as it approaches from the left.

At the opposite end ofthe barrel I. a second scroll casing 0 of greater diameter than the barrel is provided to discharge water through the outlet 9, An adapter I l, which' supports the pipe at the discharge end of the device, 'lits into the scroll casing and has a tapered opening II to guide the leading end of the pipe through the opening I2 inv the adapter. This opening is preferably of such a size as to closely surround the pipe that is to' be to the conditions which must be satisfied. In a device of this character, it is important to supply a large amount of water to quickly cool the pipe; to insure uniform application of the water to the pipe to give a uniform quenching action at all quenched. V

When water is admitted to the inlet 3, it

` emerges from the guide section 4 with a longitudinal componente! velocity (from left to right) and with a transverse or rotary component of velocity.. This last should be sufllciently high to cause the water I3 to' hug the inside surface of the barrel i and leave-an open `central space Ilv which is' free from water. Fairly moderate velocities are sufficient to do this. If, for example` the rotary component of th'e water velocity is 10 feet per second and the inside diameter of 4the barrel I is one foot, the centripetal acceleration is 6.25 times gravity and water at the top of the barrel will cling to it instead of dropping down.

going through the quenching device, the water passes from the entrance end to the exit end water flow is in the same direction as the forward motion of the pipe. When only a 'single pipe is passed .through the device, water can lenter the pipe after its trailing end has passed theguide section l, but the water thus entering passes through cooled pipe in a direction away from the swaging machine and furnace and can do no damage. In continuous operation, one pipe will follow after another with no gap or only a small gap betweenthem, and there will be but little tendency for water to enter the leaving pipe.

- Different size barrels are used for the treatment of different sizes of pipe. The longitudinal component of water velocity is determined by the volume rate of flow and the area of the ann'ulus between the inside of the barrel and the outside of the pipe. The volume rate of iiow being fixed atl a' value sufficient to c`o ol the pipe in its passage through the quenching device, the diameter of the barrel is chosen so that for any size pipe the longitudinal component of water velocity will have a desired value.

The scroll casings 2 and 8 are preferably made of sufficient size to be suitable for handling the largest size pipe that is to be quenched. A different size barrel I, guide section I, and connecting section l5 is provided for each smaller size of pipe that is to be quenched. .A different size of adapter I0 will also 'be provided for each ofthe smaller sizes of pipes.

In the embodiment of the invention just described. the barrel lis smooth on its inner sur- I claim: y

1. A device for applying a liquid medium to the external surface of a cylindrical body as the latter is moved longitudinally therethrough comprising a tubularv barrel with an inside diameter larger than the external diameter of the cylindrical body,`means at one end Vof the tubular barrel for introducing liquid adjacent its inner surface with a component of velocity along .the

axis of the Ibarrel and a substantial component of velocity at right angles thereto in a directionv circumferential of the barrel, said means having an axial opening to admit the cylindrical body, and an enlarged chamberat the opposite end of the barrel having an axial opening to permit the passage of the cylindrical body and a separate opening at the outer circumference of the chamber for the outlet of liquid.

2. A device lfor applying a liquid quenching medium .to the external surface of a heated tube 'as the latter is moved longitudinally therethrough, comprisinga scroll casing having an axial opening to admit the heated tube and guide vanes to impart to the liquid a substantial component of velocity in a circumferential direction about the axis of the guide section, a

barrel secured to the guide section coaxial therewith and having an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of the Itube, and a second scroll casing secured to the opposite end of the barrel, said latter casing being of greater transverse dimensions than the barrel and having an axial opening to permit the passage of' the tube and a separate opening at the outer `circumference thereof for-the outlet of water.

3. An apparatus for progressivelyA quenching longitudinal metallic tubular bodies of cylindrical shape by applying a cooling liquid' thereto as said bodies are moved successively through the apparatus, comprising tubular means surrounding the longitudinally moving body f or a length at least `as great as that of the .temperature gradient required for the given dimensions and v composition of the body, the speed of its moveface. In ,the modified construction shown in Fig. 3, the barrel I is provided with spiral vanes Il, whichmay extend over its entire length,'or

over only a parfof the length.` These will help to maintain the whirling motion imparted to the water by the guide section I and may be used if desired.

The invention is not limited to.l the quenching of pipe that have been reduced indiameter in la hot swaging machine but can be used for quenching heated pipe or solid bars' or rods of substantially circular section irrespective of theirprevious treatment. It is also to be understood that while the device is preferably mounted with its axis horizontal to treat pipes -or bars passingv through it horizontally, 1t can also b'e mounted vertically if desired, with the water inlet at the upper end and the outlet at the bottom end. In this position it is adapted to quench cylindrical bodies-lowered through it vertically, andthe important advantages of the t invention are retained in that the quenching will be quick and uniform, while the water will be prevented by its rotation from passing out through the hole provided at. the lower end for the exit of the pipe. In such a case, it may be desirable to decrease the diameter of the barrel from the upper end -to the lower end'in view of the' increased longitudinal velocity imparted to the falling water by the action of gravity.

ment and thel temperatures involved, said means providing with the moving body a restricted passage for the cooling uid longitudinally of the body, means forsupplying cooling iiuid at the end adjacent the entrance for the body of saidsurroundlng means at a rate of flow to substantially flll .the circumferential space between the said surrounding means and the moving body being cooled, and means to give to the iiuid a longitudinal component and a circumferential component to provide a spiralmovement of the uid around the moving body .to more unifonnly -cool it and to provide a longitudinal flow ofthe fluid in the` direction of the moving body.

4. An apparatus for progressively. quenching stock of cylindrical shape by applying. cooling liquid thereto as the stock passes through the v apparatus, comprising a circumferential header for applying a sheet of cooling liquid around the stock to be quenched, said liquid flowing in a spiral direction longitudinally and around the stock in the longitudinal direction of movement of the latter, a receiving header for the ,liquid flows in contact with' the stock from said first d as it leaves the stock, and means for coupling said headers to any one of aiplurality o f interchangeable tubular bodies `iof different jdiameters corresponding to different sizes of stock tofbe quenched for confining vthe coolingv liquid as'it named header to said secondv named header.

' svEN'MALKE. 

